Vacuum cleaning tool



June 9, 1964 J. E. TOLIN VACUUM CLEANING TooL 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 18, 1963 www www HNVENTDR 3 .J DE E. TEILIN TTUPNEV 2i 24 Z5 IEIErZ June 9, 1964 J E. ToLlN 3,135,986

VACUUM CLEANING TOOL.

Filed March 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Erw/ENTER JUE E. TDLIN AT-m QNEY United States Patent O 3,135,986 VACUUM CLEANING TOOL Joe E. rEolin, R.R. 2, BX 8, near Yorktown, Ind. Filed Mar. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 265,823 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-375) This invention relates to an attachment to a vacuum cleaning machine, or to any suitable source of vacuum such as employed normally for house or commercial cleaning purposes.

The invention relates particularly to a shell which carries a foamed rubber or plastic material open cell in nature. The shell carries valves automatically opening to regulate the degree of vacuum within the foamed rubber material which will hereinafter be called a sponge.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a structure, which in conjunction with an eiiicient vacuum cleaner, will remove dusty and spent cleaners or polishing agents from various surfaces. One particular use in this regard is in the cleaning of windows where a cleaning material including a high percentage of Whiting may be applied to the Window or glass surface in a paste form and allowed to dry, following which the inventive structure may be carried over the surface completely polishing and removing the dried whiting which then is in the form of a dust from the glass Without the dust being released into the space adjacent the window.

A further important object of the invention resides in the fact that while a sponge-like surface in a dry state is presented to the surface being cleaned, the degree of vacuum Within the sponge is automatically controlled to prevent collapsing of the sponge with such an eifect as would prevent the moving of the sponge over the surface.

A still further important object of the invention is to present a simple, light weight, and relatively low cost device which may be readily attached and detached from a hose or tube leading from the vacuum machine.

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of the invention in several forms without limitations being imposed to those exact forms, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a view in top plan of a head embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a View in front elevation of the structure embodying the invention and as attached to a Vacuum machine tube, With part of the structure broken away to illustrate the interior construction;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section in a fore and aft direction on the line 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a View in top plan of a head assuming a modified form;

FIG. 5 is a detail in vertical transverse section on the line 5--5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail in front elevation of a lower portion of a head having a different type of Valve from that shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a view in vertical section on the line 7-7 in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation in part as viewed on the line 8--3 in FIG. 5.

Referring rst to that form of the invention as illustrated in FIGS. l-3, there is a rectilinear head generally designated by the numeral 10 which has an upper T-slot 11 formed therein and open at each end so as to receive slidiugly therein the nozzle 12 on a tube 11a leading from a vacuum machine (not shown). This nozzle 12 as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 has laterally extending feet 13, one on each side, which will lit slidingly and with frictional resistance into the T-slot 11, entering the side grooves 13.

3,135,986 Patented June 9,. 1964 The head 10 is preferably made lout of a resilient, elastic material such as rubber or a plastic permitting ready molding thereof. Along the door 14 of the T-slot 11, there are air flow passageways or holes 15, herein shown as being rectilinear and decreasing in area from outer holes to inner holes, there being six of these holes in the present form, FIG. l.

The head 1t) has a downturned apron completely surrounding it, on both sides and ends. This apron is designated by the numeral 16. In the form shown in FIGS. l-3, the apron turns downwardly from the upper portion of the head substantially at right angles thereto, and then ares outwardly by a terminal portion 17, the vertical portion being designated by the numeral 18. The vertical portion 18 is provided with a plurality of windows 19 therethrough, herein shown as being circular in shape, and there is a ap valve 20 secured by a small area thereof, herein shown as at the lower edge portion to the inside of the apron 18 to extend normally upwardly over these openings 19, one apper valve 20 for each opening.

An elongated sponge generally designated by the numeral 21 has sloping sides and ends to enter the head 10 from its underside and carry a top surface 22 against the underside of the floor 14, closing off the openings 15. The sides 26 of the sponge 21 tit snugly against the insides of the outwardly ared portions 17 and are secured thereto by any suitable means, such as by a cement. The underside 23 of the sponge 21 is planar and preferably has the edges chamfered as at 24.

Referring to the form shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 8, instead of having the vertically disposed side wall portions 18, the head flares outwardly through a continuously sloping apron 25 from the underside level 22. In this case, the valve structure is slightly altered in that there is a continuous strip of a ilexible non-porous material designated by the numeral Z7 secured to the sloping sides 26 of the sponge 21 to lie immediately back of the openings 2S as indicated by 'the dash lines in FIG. 8, and shown in section in FIG. 5. In this manner, the sponge 21 itself serves as the resilient and elastic medium normally seating the material 27. In this form, the sides 26 are in contact throughout the extent of the depending apron 25. The sponge in this case is also cemented to the inside of the apron 25 along the lower portion thereof.

In the form of valve structure shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head 16 has the continuously sloping apron 25, and instead of having openings cut through the apron 25, there are lanced valve iiaps 36 dened in the apron 25, these flaps 3G being free to be drawn inwardly against the sponge 21 under suicient vacuum pressure being set up in the sponge. The apron is flexible and elastic in nature.

In operation, the nozzle 12 is evacuated at least partialy, and in turn air is tended to be taken inwardly through the sponge exposed below the lower margins of the aprons 17 and 17a tending, where the under surface 23 is against the iiat surface to pull the head 10 downwardly to compress the spronge 21, and if that degree of vacuum is such, that head 10 may be pulled down sufciently far to press the sponge 21 against the surface to be cleaned so as to prevent sliding of the sponge face 23 over that surface. To prevent that, the valves as above indicated are provided so 'that the high degree of vacuum may be reduced by allowing air to enter the sponge to bring the vacuum pressure up closer to atmospheric pressure, and yet to provide a sufficient passage of air through the sides 26 of the sponge to carry away dust which will be rubbed oit and picked up through the underside 23 of the sponge and 'to carry that dust on upwardly through the holes 15, into the nozzle 12 and out through the tube 11a. The varying sizes of the holes 15 permit a distribution of pressure without concentrat- 3 ing it in the center of the sponge in respect to the ends thereof. The flaps 30 are in the nature of reed valves similar to the valves of FIGS. 2 and 3, and their resilience depends somewhat upon their own elasticity to return to their initial closing conditions, although in the form shown in FIG. 6, the sponge itself aids in returning the valves 30 to their closed conditions.

Thus it is to be seen that the structure provides not only for a polishing surface 23, which is porous with the open cells permitting the passage of the dust on through and out through the head 13, but is also automatically regulating in respect to the pressure of the tool on the surface being cleaned.

Therefore while I have shown my invention in the particular forms described, it is obvious that structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not desire to be limited to those precise forms, beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A vacuum line attachment comprising a head;

an apron extending downwardly and outwardly from around the outer periphery of the head;

means carried by the head for attachment to a vacuum line;

a resilient, elastic open cell member extending completely across and lling the space bounded by said apron and carried by the head inside of and fitting against said apron around a lower portion at least thereof and extending downwardly by a portion below the lower margin of said apron;

said head having an air dow passageway from the upper portion of said open cell member adapted to communicate with said vacuum line; and

valve means around said apron at sides of said open cell member, the upper portion of said cell member being interposed between said valve means and said passageway so that air ow from the valve means to said passageway must pass through said cell member, said valve means opening upon a predetermined degree of vacuum being set up within said member automatically permitting atmospheric air to enter the member; said valve means being intermediate said head and said apron margin. 2. The structure of claim 1, in which said Valve means comprises a plurality of windows through said apron; and a Window closing element carried by said open cell member which normally maintains the element in a window-closed position, the closing element being retracted to overcome to some degree pressure of said open cell member thereagainst to open the window of said degree of vacuum. 3. The structure of claim 1 in which said open cell member consists of a foamed plastic material having a multitude of intercommunicating cells opening from all sides, top and bottom; said cell member having an elongated, truncated pyramidal shape; said cell member being sealed oi on major portions of its sides and ends by said apron; and said cells constituting the sole passageways through the cell member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 930,628 Squier Aug. 10, 1909 1,005,290 Gverholt Oct. 10, 1911 1,575,939 Satterwhite et al Mar. 9, 1926 1,941,550 Garvey Jan. 2, 1934 2,240,005 Moyer Apr. 29, 1941 2,243,935 Villiarnson .lune 3, 1941 2,326,311 Taylor Aug. 10, 1943 2,506,077 Goldsmith May 2, 1950 2,869,170 Wessel Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 618,241 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1949 813,668 Great Britain May 2l, 1959 970,137 France June 7, 1950 

1. A VACUUM LINE ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A HEAD; AN APRON EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY FROM AROUND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE HEAD; MEANS CARRIED BY THE HEAD FOR ATTACHMENT TO A VACUUM LINE; A RESILIENT, ELASTIC OPEN CELL MEMBER EXTENDING COMPLETELY ACROSS AND FILLING THE SPACE BOUNDED BY SAID APRON AND CARRIED BY THE HEAD INSIDE OF AND FITTING AGAINST SAID APRON AROUND A LOWER PORTION AT LEAST THEREOF AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BY A PORTION BELOW THE LOWER MARGIN OF SAID APRON; SAID HEAD HAVING AN AIR FLOW PASSAGEWAY FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID OPEN CELL MEMBER ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH SAID VACUUM LINE; AND VALVE MEANS AROUND SAID APRON AT SIDES OF SAID OPEN CELL MEMBER, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CELL MEMBER BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID VALVE MEANS AND SAID PASSAGEWAY SO THAT AIR FLOW FROM THE VALVE MEANS TO SAID PASSAGEWAY MUST PASS THROUGH SAID CELL MEMBER, SAID VALVE MEANS OPENING UPON A PREDETERMINED DEGREE OF VACUUM BEING SET UP WITHIN SAID MEMBER AUTOMATICALLY PERMITTING ATMOSPHERIC AIR TO ENTER THE MEMBER; SAID VALVE MEANS BEING INTERMEDIATE SAID HEAD AND SAID APRON MARGIN. 